Desire Plays This Trick On You
Our inability to handle desire is at the root of most our problems. Buddhist psychology says it's the root of all of them. In this video, we explore desire as a phenomenon and unpack a subtle insight from Buddhist scripture, which may point the way to liberation
#buddhism #psychology #philosophy #desire #buddha #spirituality #dharma #dhamma
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▶ Walpula Rahula Thero: What the Buddha Taught
▶ Thich Nhat Hanh: The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching
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The Pāli term for desire as the Buddha uses it is "taṇhā." This term is central to Buddhist teachings, where it is identified as the root cause of suffering. Taṇhā is typically translated into English as "craving" or "thirst" and is detailed in the Four Noble Truths, a foundational Buddhist doctrine. According to this, taṇhā leads to dukkha (suffering, dissatisfaction) and perpetuates the endless cycle of rebirths (samsāra) that beings are subjected to. Taṇhā manifests in three key forms: 1. Kāma-taṇhā: This is the craving for sensual pleasures, such as those derived from the five senses-sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. 2. Bhava-taṇhā: This is the craving for becoming, which involves the desire for existence, continued existence, or rebirth. It encompasses aspirations and ambitions for personal attainment and the wish for eternal life or continued existence in some form. 3. Vibhava-taṇhā: This is the craving for non-existence or annihilation, reflecting a desire to escape from existence, which can include suicidal thoughts or the desire for the cessation of rebirth. Overcoming taṇhā is crucial for achieving Nibbāna, the ultimate liberation from all forms of suffering and the cycle of rebirth. The Buddha prescribed a path to extinguish taṇhā through the Noble Eightfold Path, which includes right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. By following this path, practitioners cultivate ethical conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom, which enable them to see the true nature of reality and thereby reduce and eventually eliminate taṇhā from their lives. Besides"taṇhā," another Pāli term for desire is "chanda." In the context of Buddhist teachings, chanda has a slightly different connotation than taṇhā. While taṇhā usually refers to a more unwholesome or problematic type of craving that leads to suffering and attachment, chanda can denote a more neutral or even positive type of desire, depending on the context. Chanda: - Is often translated as "intention," "desire," or "will." - Can be wholesome (kusala) when it is directed towards beneficial goals, such as the desire to practice meditation, achieve ethical goals, or other aspirations that lead towards enlightenment and the well-being of oneself and others. - It is considered an essential element in the path to liberation because it provides the motivation required to engage in and sustain wholesome activities. Thus, while taṇhā is always considered a hindrance to enlightenment due to its nature of leading to attachment and suffering, chanda can be a motivating force that helps one progress on the spiritual path when aligned with right effort and wholesome intentions.
Excellent!
First time hearing of chanda, but it makes sense. Maharaj, have you obtained Buddhahood yet?
I have such a hard time with the Sanskrit words, thank you for including translations for them in your comment
6 senses 😊 forgot the desire to utilize or cling to brain/mind/cognitive functions/emotion/memory 👍 but i give it A+ ⭐ great summary.
Thank you for bringing this up. It is very important to look at the linguistic root when discussing any ancient teaching. To add to this, chanda is 1 of 4 base mental powers which are required to achieve any form of attainment. It is called Iddhipada (mental power), which includes Chanda (passion), Viriya (effort), Citta (focus), Vimamsa (evaluation). It is explained very well in here kzhead.info/sun/oa2zaJitrYeam4k/bejne.htmlsi=fVVio6ItvTpay63r
Very tough subject. Buddha never stated desire was bad. Without desire we could not experience dualities in creation. To know our self. But there are also habitual desires. That have no benefit to our being. Great video as always. Thank You
"Desire cannot be overcome by resistance; it can only be defeated through insight." Well said. Resisting desire again and again is like trying to resist the ocean waves. It/they will always come back. As always, thanks for the upload. Mahalo from Hawaii....
you are my favourite channel ever. the editing, the quality, the effort and the content; so grateful to have stumbled across this gold mine!!!!
Thank you, I appreciate that!
have you considered making a video on nonduality?
Wow I just did a meditation on surrender on insight timer trying to release a particular desire that’s got me captured.. when I finished and went to YT this was the first thing in my feed
Secret of attaining truth self realisation self liberation awakening enlightenment is pure compassion, and by this way desire disappear permanently
Another excellent and profound piece, grateful once again for presenting the Buddha’s teaching in a living contemporary language we all can understand easier. 🙏
“The whole secret of life, everything that you can possibly desire, is yours at this moment, and if you cannot lay hold on it now, you'll never be able to.” ~ Alan Watts
You learned from your mistake! You are truly on the path to enlightenment!
Very insightful
According to buddhism, desire isn't a problem; attachment to this desire ( as in believing it is necessary for our well being ) is the root of suffering. Enjoying a good beer isn't desire or attachment, but relying on it to diminish your suffering is.
Thank you for the timely and profound insight! Indeed, Desire precedes attachments to impermanent forms and constructs. Following the Eightfold path illuminates the Middle Way and, like all good medicine, decreases suffering.
i believe that the phrase : dont desire is the nirvana, it's a KOAN that each individual person will have a experience seeking not to desire, becase desire not to desire is already a desire
One of your videos appeared on my feed earlier today. I just ended up watching your whole playlist. You've given me much to think about, and I look forward to seeing more of this wonderful content. I'll certainly rewatch some of these at a later date. I feel like these videos came at just the right time in my current state of mind, and will be of great help in my development. Thanx so much
🌟
Thank you for the support!
Awesome
Desire is simple to understand but not easy to practice. Thanks for the refresher! ☯️🙏❤️🔥
Thanks many thanks, your videos are helping me so much to walk and contemplate the wise path of budism
A fantastic video -- the idea of suffering being the tension of wanting to "merge" with an object (material, abstract or otherwise) is enlightening in the true sense of the word. Beautiful channel 🙏
8:08 - Brilliant.
🙏 Thank you! 🙏
beautifully put.
THANK YOU.
Thanks, another great one
Incredible 👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽
So I have a desire to learn more about Buddhism, especially now in my last years of my life. How can I learn about this knowledge. From you? What books did you learn from? I'm serious about about my communique with you. Thank for your videos. You have an enormous amount of intelligent knowledge,
awesome!
Wonderful & helpful video as always Precious! Thanks for your beautiful efforts 🥰❤🙏
Desire is when one indulges himself in pleasurable sensations and clings to them.
I love your voice and most importantly your essence, my soul
I think longing is an apt synonym for desire. Fortunately for me, longing for the person (object of my desire) went away, but fondness for the person remained intact.
yes.
Everything way of enlightenment ❤
The timing couldn’t have been better
What got rid of desire for me was a divorce. That was the end of desire. 😮
How? Why?
That's a delusion. Desire is not limited to women. It can be even for a grain of sand, or even a thought in the middle of the night.
Wow... exactly..my 17 years old relationship in I invested all of me ended.. This is my exact thought... strangely liberating...
@karmabhutia706 What quest have you taken upon since your liberation?
@@sammas2959Eat,sleep and go for a long walk. Taking an inventory of my life of far...Invest time and energy in Body,mind and spirit integration work.Healing inner child wounds. The desire is still there...but it's in different context..instead of living in reactionary mode...now it's action oriented. Do something for common good with wanting approval or validation..and that's liberating..🙏
Desire scientifically speaking: Desire or craving is motivational state that drives individuals to seek out or engage in specific behaviors or obtain certain objects or experiences. It is associated with the activation of reward circuits in the brain, particularly the mesolimbic dopamine system. This system plays a crucial role in mediating the experience of pleasure and reinforcement, which can intensify desires and cravings. The brain's reward system, which includes regions like the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex, plays a crucial role in mediating these experiences. When we desire something, these brain regions become activated, releasing neurotransmitters like dopamine, which creates a sense of pleasure and reinforces the desire. The brain's reward circuitry is involved in the experience of desire and craving. This circuitry is responsible for processing and evaluating the rewarding properties of stimuli and is closely linked to the release of dopamine. When we desire something, the reward circuitry becomes activated, creating a sense of anticipation and motivation to obtain the desired object or experience.
The brain is the image of the mind, not the cause.
desire = 1/insight
hey man, really love your videos. have always wanted to ask this, when in meditation i look for a "self" i know there isn't any particular point i can call as self. and then that syncs with the teachings of the no self. then who or what is aware of all of this happening? who or what thinks that it is in pain or is happy???? please answer this. i will go crazy if i ponder on this enough.
You are Infinite awareness. Everything happens within you. The space (Infinite awareness) and the happening(the Universe). Dense Matter is an Illusion. Like everything is an Illusion. The Person in your mind...is just a story.
If any of you are struggling with lust, I hope this can help you: This comes from a channel that talks about Christianity called Theology of the Body, but it helped me a lot to understand the problem of lust and how to end it. Also, when he talks about God, I understand him as universe, creation, interdependence, karma: "Lust diverts physical attraction into a selfish desire to possess the beauty of another, while a healthy appreciation recognizes beauty only as a sign that guides us towards the infinite beauty of God and seeks spiritual satisfaction rather than personal gratification". Edit: I'm not that good with English.
great quote, thanks for sharing!
You know it's a good day when my favorite European philosopher postsssssss Or...philosophy...fanatic???
Or maybe....buddhist?
Awesome as always, what software do you use for making the animations?
Premiere Pro :)
I desire to be free of desire...DOH!
🙏
Yaasss I always get really excited when I see a new seeker to seeker video up
The desire to be free from desire is also a desire 😅 simply be
here's what I grasped: getting rid of desire isn't necessarily about eliminating it entirely. Instead, it's about freeing oneself from attachment. Essentially, it's about being true to oneself and pursuing desired outcomes without being fixated on the result-whether achieved or not. But, did I interpret it correctly? This concept complicates the usage of the word 'desire,' particularly when distinguishing between essentials for survival (like water) and purely material possessions (such as a TV). At its extreme, it could imply that devoid of desire, there's only emptiness, possibly even equating it with death-an acceptance that also holds its own validity. What are your thoughts on this perspective?
Fundamental Ignorance is the last affliction one eradicates before one attains Buddhahood. To desire to become a buddha may be necessary to start and complete the Bodhi path.
please a video about the 8 jhanas and how to get there
You have to overcome the five hindrances: greed, ill will, doubt, unrest and muddledness of mind. Best way is to destroy identity view by sense restraint (=8 sila) and attending from the origin. Comcretely: this sensation can only be experienced on the basis of the body being already there. OR this intention arises due to the current mood. OR seeing that the mind can only reflect/think about itself by thoughts being present akin to the eye that only see itself in the mirror because it was created in the first place. Also you have to discern your perception of objects as it projects the sign of beauty and desirability onto things. Learn to see that ugly and beaty are both present. This is the best way to find happyness and gives you the best basis for jhana
ignorance is conductive to life than truth,the line is similar to the matrix movie quote ignorance is bliss...there is no material /physical realm once one gains the wisdom .desire is the root cause for suffering ,ignorance is the cause for desire .
A wind that blows itself out you say?
Can Buddhist Philosophy be dangerous when a person is in a situation of abuse? It seems like even when you can change things Buddhism might say that you have to accept your reality in order to be happy. If anyone understands more of this matter. I would be glad to know.
The Buddha never taught that one must simply accept their reality in order to be happy. Instead, his teachings focus on understanding suffering and its cessation. The essence of the Dhamma is encapsulated in a straightforward instruction from the Buddha: cultivate what you recognize as wholesome and refrain from what you recognize as unwholesome. "The non-doing of all evil, the cultivation of wholesome qualities, and the cleansing of one’s mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha. Patient endurance is the foremost austerity. Nibbāna is supreme." - Dhp. 14, verses 183-184 In this context, Buddhism does not advocate passive acceptance of abuse or harmful situations. Rather, it emphasizes active engagement in fostering positive change and personal growth, guided by wisdom and ethical conduct.
If there is desire then there is a sense of "I" and "me" and "other": Without desire the "i am" is dead / does not exist ?
@UnrealTransformer In Theravāda Buddhism, the presence of craving inevitably leads to clinging, and with clinging, there arises the becoming and birth of an "I" or ego, which claims ownership. Desire, or taṇhā, is fundamentally a selfish tendency to possess or own something. However, the object of desire is, in reality, just a neutral phenomenon-a mere occurrence in nature. It is our incorrect assumptions that transform these neutral phenomena into objects of desire. Consider the analogy of a thorn: it is harmless as long as you do not step on it. Similarly, the existence of desire itself is not inherently problematic; rather, it is your interaction with that desire that is crucial. If you recognize the potential danger in desire, you can learn to practice non-entanglement with it. This awareness and cautious engagement with desires are key to preventing them from dictating your actions and leading to further entanglement in the cycle of suffering.
Oh the desire to overcome desire eh?
Desire = preference
Desire especially lust can blind you, It can rob your rationality.
@@monke6669 I couldn't handle lust for decades 😂 It still feels "weird" that I can handle it now...
@@justaman33 Woah that's great! It gives me hope that I too can handle lust and I am 25, I couldn't control lust at all, it is all over my mind.
@@monke6669 I understand. I couldn't at 25 either 😂 I've been in this body 58 years and only recently, say in the past 9 months, did I finally become able to handle it. You got this... it's a journey my friend 🐢🐢🐢💪
@@justaman33 Yup it is a journey, an arduous journey 😅 Btw you are almost my father's age, may I ask you a question? Since when did you start your spiritual seeking? Have you hand any spiritual experiences?
Should we not desire anything?
But if I desire not to desire than I’m desiring !
Hahahaha
This is exactly what jiddu krishnmurti would say and the solution he provides is to be a passive observer and to be in choiceless awareness.
when you have no desire what satisfices you?? how can you feel joy???
@fidaissa In addressing the question of what satisfies and brings joy when there is no desire, it's important to differentiate between two types of joy: worldly joy and divine joy. Worldly joy is temporary and leads to suffering because it is dependent on external conditions and desires that can never be permanently fulfilled. In contrast, divine joy, as Jesus discusses in John 14:27, is not like the joy that the world gives. It is a deeper, enduring peace and contentment that arises from a spiritual connection and is not contingent on external circumstances. This divine joy is satisfying because it is not disrupted by changes in life's conditions (impermanance); it remains constant despite the fluctuations of the world. It offers a peace that allows one to not be troubled or afraid, as it is not derived from fulfilling desires but from a profound inner stability and wholeness. This form of joy leads to bliss, as it is rooted in the eternal rather than the fleeting pleasures of the world.
@@andreschoenfeld thank you for caring
In short, All desire comes from sense of self, sense of "me" "mine" "I'm this" "I'm that" in other words it comes from self created identity self or ego thet doesn't exist, it only exist thru the mind, because of influence of ignorance society in rat race system If one doesn't care his or her face and doesn't look at the mirror or doesn't care his or her identity then that leads to no sense of self that will lead to compassion of other beings then all desire and attachment will eradicate naturally then liberation comes If human beings want to eliminate desire and be free, then have no interest in self created identity, created by the ignorant people, and just simply be
Great insight
Obj petit a
What is love?
It depends 😉
The difference between the love and attachment is that the latter occurs when you expect the other to make you happy, whereas the former is when you want the other to be happy and contribute to their happiness. Of course, the latter of the two inevitably leads to dissatisfaction and suffering, and hence must be avoided.
@I_AM__atomikk___ Instead of "the latter," I think you meant, "the former."
In Buddhism, conventional love is viewed as conditioned and often driven by ego, even if the lover is unaware of this underlying motivation. To expand upon this concept using Buddhist terminology, one might argue that true love is unconditioned and thus transcends both love and its opposite. In Buddhist teachings, Nibbāna is regarded as the sole unconditioned state, free from any concoction, while everything else is associated with Dukkha (suffering).
baby dont hurt me...
You make very important videos about Buddhism and they are very helpful. But it seems from your playlist that you do not dedicate yourself to Buddhism. Why?
We don have to dedicate to a philosophy or religion imo. We are much more than that. This is universal knowledge gained trough a lot of observing and self reflection.
And then... there is Tantra
That picture presenting the video... No.
I know this is really petty and I’m sorry, but it’s something that irks me: the examples given for sexual desire toward a woman were 1) straight man, yes 2) gay man, maybe 3) arahant, definitely not. Assuming the only way to know is believing the person when asked or by definition of categories: straight, gay, arahant. Why is ‘gay man’ the questionable one? Why is that category or answer not taken at face value? Again, (and I’m sighing from my own seemingly pointless detail) I know this is petty, but it’s a bias that constantly gets over looked. It implies that gay men have a choice. Even if an individual does consciously lie about being gay, the general comment that a gay man MIGHT not be attracted to a woman is not a gay man, but a bisexual man.
I learned nothing from this. The title is misleading.
In Buddhism, learning and improvement come through understanding. To truly overcome obstacles, one must cultivate right view and discernment. It is more about emptying the cup than filling it.
@@andreschoenfeld fair Dinkum.
I completely understand your point of view. One cannot fight desire, one might as well fight the ocean single handedly. However, one can try to understand desire, try to find the roots of its origin. The very process of trying to understand the hidden motivations makes you mentally stronger. It makes you able to laugh at yourself a little bit, in the face of misery. It'll take the edge off. ❤
The voice is not so pleasant, and the message is confusing...
Love all your Buddhist contents 🥰🥰. Very proud to being your new membership ❤❤.
Awesome